CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – Firefighters had largely staged a large forest fire on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday as the city began dealing with the damage caused by what officials described as one of the worst fires in the area . in years.
About 90% of the fire had been contained, the Table Mountain National Park authority said, but only after the firefighters worked through the night again and spent a third day fighting the flames.
Those firefighters were confronted overnight with “ extreme conditions, ” said the Working on Fire organization, which specializes in tackling wildfires and has helped the city’s firefighters. The Table Mountain operation had now reached the “clean up” stage, Working on Fire said.
Firefighting helicopters dropped water on areas where the fire was still smoldering and smoking on the rocky peaks of Table Mountain. South African army helicopters joined the operation to support the fire service after the helicopters were all grounded on Monday due to high winds.
The wind had eased, but thick smoke still hung over the city and firefighters watched eruptions.
“Our number one priority remains to completely extinguish all firing lines,” said local government official Anton Bredell. “After that, firefighters will continue to fill in the affected areas and check for eruptions for the next few days until we are 100% sure the fire is out.
“When the fire is extinguished, the investigation into the cause of the fire will be conducted.”
Forest fires are fairly common in the mountains and peaks around Cape Town during the hot, dry summer months and become especially dangerous and unpredictable when fueled by strong sea winds.
They sometimes spark because of the heat and dry ground, and sometimes they are the result of fires caused by people getting out of control.
This fire started early Sunday and, fueled by high winds, was torn down and across the slopes of the mountain into residential areas overlooking central Cape Town.
Neighborhoods were evacuated while firefighters usually kept the flames at bay and away from homes – sometimes with only a few feet left. About 250 firefighters were mobilized.
A total of 11 buildings have been destroyed, six firefighters injured in the fight against the fire and nine other people have been treated for respiratory problems due to smoke inhalation, the city authorities said.
The University of Cape Town campus was one of the first sites to be affected and appears to have suffered the most damage. Numerous buildings at the university burned down, including part of a nearly 100-year-old library of rare books and manuscripts on African studies. The university said some of those “priceless” works had been lost, but it was still unclear how many.
Other historic buildings in the area, including a 225-year-old windmill and a renowned restaurant and tea room at a memorial to British colonial politician Cecil Rhodes, also burned down.
In the tea room, plates and half-full cups stood on charred tables amid the ruins, showing how customers and staff had suddenly been forced to flee. Small fires were still burning in the nearby forest.
The South African government said a home owned by the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure had been completely destroyed by the fire. The house was empty at the time, but relatives of a rural minister and two deputy ministers had to be evacuated from their nearby homes. The fire also came close to South African Vice President David Mabuza’s Cape Town residence, the government said.
About 600 acres of land had been set on fire, the Table Mountain National Park authority estimated.